How to Get Ketchup Out of Clothes? Step-By-Step

On french fries, not on your clothes or the carpet, ketchup is intended to be used. Learn how to remove ketchup from clothing.

Ketchup (or catsup) stains, like most stains, are simpler to get rid of when they are still wet, so try to deal with them as soon as possible. You can still get rid of the stain if you take the time to go through the cleaning procedure, even if you didn’t notice it until laundry day.

Before you start to freak out, remember that you’re not the first person to ever experience a major ketchup or mustard stain problem. To find out how to naturally remove ketchup stains from clothing, upholstery, and furniture, keep reading.

Before You Begin

The majority of the cleaning supplies you can use to get rid of ketchup stains are probably already in your kitchen or laundry room.

You have a few options for stain removers, and common household cleaners like vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or dish soap might function even better than a commercial product. Some ketchup stains will require a combination of cleaning agents, especially if they have dried.

Check the care label on your clothing, and if it says dry clean only, take it to your dry cleaner as soon as you can, pointing out and describing the ketchup stain. Before putting the item in the dryer bag if you are using a home dry cleaning kit, make sure to treat the stain with the stain remover that is included.

How to Get Rid of Ketchup Stains?

Basic pre-treatment concepts have been covered. Let’s now discuss the six steps to completely remove all ketchup stains from your favorite shirt.

Step 1: Scrapping

Whether the ketchup is old or new, you should scrape it off of your clothing rather than wipe it. Wiping the ketchup off runs the risk of spreading it to the unaffected areas, which will only make the ketchup stain problem worse!

You can use a clean spoon or something comparable for this step. Scrape the ketchup off firmly but gently.

Step 2: Blotting

Remove any extra ketchup by blotting. Using a paper towel or an old rag, gently dab the extra ketchup off. Remember to walk over and under the affected area. You would be able to remove the most ketchup this way.

You don’t want the ketchup to get on the other areas. When that happens, you might want to place some cardboard or used rags under the affected area. You can also just use your palm as an alternative.

Step 3: Flushing

If at all possible, turn the affected garment inside out and wash the affected area with running water. Turning up the faucet a bit will add some pressure, which may be beneficial.

Use cold water whenever possible! This stain might be more challenging to remove in hot water. If you’re dealing with colored clothing, this step may make the stain appear to be gone. Most likely not yet. Hold the garment up to a source of light that you can find. It will enable you to check your clothing for any remaining ketchup stains.

Step 4: Treating

You can select your fighter in this step. Although there are many choices, we’ll show you some of the most popular ones.

• Dish Soap

Kitchenware is not the only thing that dish soap can be used to clean. It can also be beneficial for your wardrobe. The treatment of ketchup stains is one of the many stains that it is used for. Dish soap should be applied liberally and worked into the fabric in the affected area. Use a product like Dawn if you can.

• Liquid Detergent

However, liquid detergent is also an option.

The liquid detergent should be applied generously to the afflicted area and worked into the fabric, just like with dish soap. Start from the outside, moving inside to contain the issue. You can wait a few minutes to rinse after adding the liquid detergent.

• Mild Bleach

You can also use some mild bleach after rinsing. If you don’t think the garment needs any bleach, you can skip this step. Otherwise, your clothes might get ruined.

• Vinegar

As you may already be aware, vinegar works well as a cleaner and can also be useful in the laundry room. You should get an old rag or a sponge for this step. Dab it gently on the affected area after soaking it in some diluted vinegar.

• Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is another effective cleaner for the laundry room, and it can be used in the same way as vinegar.

• Hydrogen Peroxide

Now, if you don’t like the smell of vinegar and don’t want to use lemon juice, you can choose hydrogen peroxide as a substitute. Hydrogen peroxide is an effective cleaner but is less well-known than vinegar and lemon juice.

All of these gentle bleaching agents can be used on your clothes, but it is best to avoid using them simultaneously. Make sure to rinse the item before switching to a different one if you’ve already used one of the three.

• Stain Remover

Finally, if you prefer, you can use a stain remover that you can buy. There are various options available. Pick the option you believe will work best for the fabric at hand.

However, if the commercial stain removers are ineffective for you, you can make your own. You can search online for a homemade stain remover recipe if you don’t already have one. There are a ton, but we’ll show you one of the most straightforward and efficient ones.

You will need dish soap, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide for this stain remover. Two parts of the hydrogen peroxide, and one part each of the dish soap and baking soda, are needed. These three can be combined in a bowl or shaken in a bottle.

It would be a good idea to test out each of the cleaning agents we’ve listed down here on a hidden area before applying the treatment. It would be best to test out some of these things first since some of them could damage certain fabrics.

It’s always best to test out the cleaning agents first in obscure locations when dealing with laundry-related issues. Yes, even if we’re referring to laundry supplies from the store. Even though bleach is marketed as a laundry product, using it on some types of clothing is not recommended.

Step 5: Washing

You can wash your clothes as usual after the treatments. You might want to wash it separately from the others, though. The ketchup stain may spread to the other clothes if there is any leftover on the original clothing.

After washing, carefully inspect the disputed clothing. To make sure there is no ketchup left behind, you might want to hold them up in front of a light source once more. Repeat steps 4 and 5 a second time if there is any remaining ketchup stain until there is no longer any sign of it.

Step 6: Drying

It would be best to avoid using the dryer to dry these clothes after washing them.

Perhaps the stain is still present. These garments might become irreversibly damaged if you dry them in the dryer. If not, it might be slightly more difficult to get it off than before.

Some stains are difficult to see on wet clothing. Because of this, after treating them, we strongly advise air drying them. Actually, we advise that you air dry as many of your garments as you can. Air drying actually has a ton of advantages.

If you prefer to use the dryer, you can dry the clothes again after they have dried and you are certain there are no stains left.

How to Remove Ketchup Stains from the Carpet?

It’s okay if you banged the bottle’s bottom so forcefully that ketchup flew across the room and onto the carpet. To get rid of ketchup on your carpet, just follow the same procedures you used to remove it from your couch.

How to Get Ketchup Stains Out of Upholstery?

A big splotch of ketchup landing on the couch — especially if it’s upholstered in white — can put a serious damper on dinner. To erase ketchup stains from your upholstery:

1. With a dry cloth or napkin, wipe away any extra ketchup. Don’t rub or dab.
2. 1 cup of cold water and 1/2 a tablespoon of mild dish soap. To remove the stain, gently dab it with a sponge after dipping it into the solution.
3. Rinse with cold water and a fresh sponge.
4. Continue doing this until the stain disappears.

Tips for Removing Ketchup and Tomato Stains

• Always act fast if you can
• Use only cold water
• Remove excess ketchup before cleaning
• Air or line dry garments only
• Do not scrub vigorously or apply too much pressure

Conclusion: Get Ketchup Out of Clothes

How do you get ketchup out of clothes? is the question we addressed today. It only requires six steps, as you can see, and is quite simple. You should always be careful to prevent stains on your clothing, but ketchup stains are no longer a concern!

Try rubbing detergent into the stained area of the fabric, soaking it in warm water for 30 minutes, and then thoroughly rinsing it off if the stain is still present after a thorough removal procedure. Apply a stain-removing stick, gel, or spray after that, and wash the item as usual.

FAQs